1. The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (Romance) - I have read all three books in this companion series, and I think this one was my favorite. I think this was in part because this book was very personal to the author, so the emotions rang true. I loved Quan as a romantic male lead, and how he connected with Anna so quickly and showed her how she could be loved. I also loved the exploration of Anna coming to terms with her autism diagnosis, and how this allowed her to understand herself more than ever before. Parts of this book were a difficult read, as it confronted head-on what it is like to be a caretaker. I think that storyline is important, and not something I've read often, so it was good to read it here. I was sad a bit about the resolution of Anna's relationship with her sister, Priscilla. I highly recommend this book!
2. The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood (Contemporary Fiction) - This was a good book, alternating between the perspectives of Anvar and Azza. I would say that this story focuses more on Anvar overall, though. I liked Anvar. He struggled with the expectations from his family and had a good sense of humor. I liked the book's focus on characters who I haven't read as much about (immigrants from Pakistan and Iraq). The story went in some directions that I was not expecting and was compelling.
3. House of Sticks by Ly Tran (Memoir) - I am glad that Ly Tran wrote this story of her struggles and resilience. This story spans from her immigration from Vietnam at age 3 in 1993 through her college years. She writes very lovingly about the people in her life, even when the relationships were complicated. She struggled from 3rd grade on with poor vision and a need for glasses, but her father believed glasses were a government conspiracy. Ly is angry that her parents won't get her the glasses that she needs, but she also understands that her father had been through a lot in "re-education camps" after the Vietnam War ended, and this has affected the same he saw things in the world. Throughout her childhood, Ly's family faces poverty. They eventually become owners of a nail salon, though they never thrive there financially. There are some scenes in the book depicting terrible treatment by customers at the salon, especially directed at Ly's mom. The book also shows Ly's struggles with depression in college which were not easy to read, but I'm glad she has gotten to a good place and been able to be successful now.
4. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (tr. by Jamie Chang) (Contemporary Fiction) - This was translated from Korean, and was a perfect read for Women in Translation month. The story read quickly, as it was only about 150 pages. The book traced Jiyoung's life from birth through the early childhood of her own child. The story focuses on instances of sexism through her life, from the treatment of boys at school to her experience getting a job and then her experiences with marriage. The story doesn't delve as deeply into her emotions, but the book has a logical reason for this. This was a worthwhile read. While it is set in Korea, the story feels applicable to many countries other than that as well, though the author cites specific statistics from her country.
5. The Hunting Wives by May Cobb (Thriller) - This was a quick and easy read, but not one that I would revisit. The characters are all unlikeable and I didn't really care about or feel connected to any of them. This is definitely a book to read if you don't mind watching characters make many terrible decisions. There were many times when I wanted to be able to tell Sophie to stop before she got inot the new group too deeply. I felt bad for her husband, Graham, who seemed like a nice guy. This book is advertised as a thriller, but the thriller aspect doesn't really start until page 200. The story really picks up at that point, and I was more invested in finding about what happened to one of the characters.
6. If They Come For Us by Fatimah Asghar (Poetry Collection) - These were interesting poems that I would definitely consider rereading. There were some cultural aspects to them that I didn't fully understand on the first read, so revisiting some of the poems at a later date would help deepen the experience of reading them.
7. Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta (Short Story Collection) - While called a short story collection, this read more like a novel that was told over the years. All the stories focused on Kara, a Canadian of Jamaican heritage, and spanned the time from elementary school into college. This was a strong collection that gave insight into Kara's culture, and how that affected her relationships with family and friends. This story delves into Kara's mother and grandparents, and the complicated relationships with each of them. I also liked how the dialect of the grandmother was included in the writing of this book.
8. Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (Short Story Collection) - I actually read most of this collection back in March, but I didn't read the final two stories until this month. I'm not sure why I waited so long to finish it, as this was a strong collection, focusing on indigenous Latina characters in the southwest. The setting was central to the story and felt vivid. A lot of the stories had some dark undertones. I could see myself revisiting some of the stories in the future.
9. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Literary Fiction) - This was a wonderful and captivating novel! I liked it even more than I expected to, especially since it is much more of a quiet and introspective novel. This novel is a deep dive into Gifty's mind and life, with flashbacks to her past. I have seen some readers say that it read like a memoir, and that description makes sense to me. This book is about many things, from science to faith to addiction. It tackles all of the topics in the story with sensitivity and compassion for the characters. I have a copy of Gyasi's first novel, Homegoing, so I definitely need to move that up on my list to read soon.
10. Colorful by Eto Mori (tr. by Jocelyne Allen) (Contemporary Fiction) - I wasn't sure at first how this could end in a happy way. I won't mention the ending, because it is better to experience it, but I will say that I was satisfied with the ending. This story delves into mental health for teenagers. While it was originally published in Japanese in the late 1990s, I think it is just as relevant in the United States today.
11. The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You by Maurice Carlos Ruffin (Short Story Collection) - It only took me a couple days to read this collection of stories. Many of them were very short (only 1-2 pages), while others were a bit longer. These painted an atmospheric picture of the people in New Orleans. Some of the stories included COVID, though none mentioned it by name. This was a great collection, that I enjoyed reading! I definitely want to check out Ruffin's novel, We Cast a Shadow, soon.
12. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (tr. by Philip Gabriel) (Contemporary Fiction) - This was a sweet story about a man named Satoru who takes his cat, Nana, on a trip to look for someone to care for said cat, as he will no longer be able to. We don't find out why he won't be able to until close to the end of the book, but the reason is fairly predictable. The story traces his friendship with each person that Satoru stops to visit. This was a quiet story, with some sadness, and a good read. I think this book is especially good for anyone who has loved a cat.
